


A Whole Different Beast

by millieglitch



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Corporal Punishment, Drinking, Gambling, Gen, Humor, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Polyamory, Slice of Life, Swearing, spellcheck keeps criticizing my weird grammar and i dont care for it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29089074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/millieglitch/pseuds/millieglitch
Summary: Chisa Yukizome had successfully 'tamed' Hope's Peak's Class 77-B. But now she was faced with a whole different beast.akamy girlfriend and i's danganronpa ocs bully chisa for 12000 words
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	A Whole Different Beast

**Author's Note:**

> i needed to put my dumb oc stuff somewhere and so here it goes
> 
> i'm not in the danganronpa fandom anymore i'm just attached to these characters in this setting
> 
> my girlfriend (NotIshimaru on ao3) owns half of these ocs <3
> 
> sorry if this doesn't make any goddamn sense
> 
> enjoy :)

Chisa took a deep breath in, and then out. Given her great success with the last class she’d taken on in Hope’s Peak, she’d been assigned to this new one in the hopes that she’d be able to straighten this one out, too. She’d taken the challenge gladly, but she wasn’t ignorant of the fact that it would be just that: a challenge. Regardless, she’d never been one to back down, and her resolve was not about to crumble.

She pushed open the door to the classroom, now mentally prepared for whatever this homeroom would bring.

Three students were in attendance. All three had pushed their chairs around one desk. 

The first to notice her was a pale-looking girl, whose brown hair was pinned back into a neat ponytail. Her dress shirt and green dress were neat as a pin, and she smiled politely at Chisa when she walked in. “Good morning, Miss!” Her voice was clear and bright, her red eyes shining.

The second student was a cowboy, of some description. His large hat was tipped low over his face, and a huge scarf was tugged in front of his mouth, giving him a mysterious look, like a character on the front of some steamy novel. He eyed Chisa with suspicion. “Ain’t seen you before.” As expected, his accent was straight out of the Wild West. 

The final student, a uniformed girl with grey hair and red eyes, smiled sweetly, but said nothing.

“I’m Miss Yukizome, your new homeroom teacher!” Chisa announced, making sure to sound bright and bouncy. Yes, she was rather put out that so few of the students had shown up, but there was no reason to take it out on those that were punctual. “Now, I’d better take attendance. Or, uh, what there is of it.”

From taking attendance, she learned that the neat girl was named Kristine, the cowboy was named Izaac and the other girl Saki. “So, do you guys have any idea where the other students are?” Chisa asked, voice oozing concern. “I was expecting a few more people than this..”

“There usually are more people!” Saki pointed out. She notably had a peppy demeanour that Chisa quite liked. “Coraline, Cherry, Taku and my sister Zaki are always here, actually..” She frowned, looking down at her laced fingers with a furrowed brow.

Kristine rested her arms lightly on the table. “When I said we had a new teacher for homeroom, Konomi and Angela promised they’d come, too.” She huffed, somewhat aggravated. “I didn’t think they’d flake on me like this..”

“And that Coraline’s been showin’ less and less since she got with that no good boyfriend of hers.” Izaac shook his head disapprovingly, before scratching lightly at his ear. 

“Who, Apollo?” Saki glanced at Izaac in surprise. “He’s not that bad. Well— Comparatively, anyway.” She chuckled nervously, fiddling with her hands. 

“Sorry we’re late!” A girl called out, as the door to the classroom swung open. Chisa recognised her instantly. Cherry Valentine, American pop star, grinned bashfully as she stood in the doorway. Her eyebrows raised as she spotted Chisa. “Ooh, you’re new.” 

Before Chisa could answer, a boy poked his head up from behind Cherry’s shoulder. His brown hair was streaked with red, and pulled up into a bun. “Oh my God, are you Chisa Yukizome?” His voice was wild with excitement. “The Ultimate Housekeeper?” He had the attitude of a rabid fan meeting their biggest idol.

“Former Ultimate Housekeeper.” Chisa corrected, trying not to be too surprised at the fact that she, apparently, had a raving fan. Cherry and her friend sat down with the others, and Chisa went back to the register to check them off as late. “Cherry and Antonio, right?” The two nodded. “Why are you late?”

“I had to help Yuki with a project.” Cherry explained, placing the handbag that’d been slung over her arm on the floor beside her chair. “It ran a little longer than we were expecting, sorry.” Despite her tardiness, Cherry seemed perfectly charming, and Chisa was prepared to let the small incident slide.

“I was looking for Taku and Konomi!” Antonio exclaimed, expression turning nervous. “They usually don’t run off so early in the morning, and so I tried to look all over the Main Course building for them, but then I realised I was late for homeroom, so I ran all the way here!” He ended his frantic rambling with a few breathless giggles.

Izaac raised his eyebrows. “Wonder what they’re up to, then.” He folded his arms close to his chest, eyeing Antonio carefully. He simply shrugged in response. 

Chisa hummed, folding her arms. “Well, which one of you is the Class Rep?” She decided it was reasonable to assume that it was one of the punctual ones that had been chosen to represent the class. After all, all of them - perhaps bar Antonio - seemed quite fit to take on the role.

“Oh, none of us.” Kristine spoke almost bitterly. “Juuija’s the Rep.” She shuffled uncomfortably, a disapproving expression on her face.

Saki rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe she is the Class Rep, honestly. I mean, she hardly even comes to homeroom.” She put a hand on Kristine’s shoulder. “You totally should’ve been the Rep. You’re the Ultimate Moral Compass, that’s gotta count for something.”

Cherry sat up straight. “Actually, I think Juuija’s doing a great job.” A spark shone in her dark green eyes. “I mean, she’s not in homeroom now because helping a classmate out with work. I think that’s a pretty Class Rep thing to do!” 

“You would say that.” Saki was unconvinced. “I mean, you’re her girlfriend.” She leant further forward in her chair. “She doesn’t even do anything except yell at us, anyway.”

Antonio nudged Izaac. “The girls are fighting!” He whispered, shaking his hands  
with a goofy grin. Izaac rolled his eyes. 

Cherry’s expression darkened. “Juuija is a queen. I won’t allow this slander!” She almost leapt out of her seat. “I know you’re salty ‘cause your little boo thang didn’t get picked, but Juuija was the democratically elected Rep. We all put slips of paper with her name on into Monoglitch’s hat, honey! We can have a recount if you want, it won’t change anything.” 

Izaac let out a low whistle. Saki sunk back in her chair, defeated. 

Kristine sighed, resting her head in her hands. “It’s such a shame, that so few people care about homeroom. I think it’s a really important time for us to all socialise! But no one seems to care.” She looked off, despondent. Saki lightly pat her on the shoulder.

“Exactly!” Chisa nodded, getting suddenly to her feet. Izaac’s hand instinctively slid to one of the guns at his belt. “That’s why I think it’d be a great idea to go and round everyone up!” She grinned at her students, who watched her, bewildered.

Cherry’s expression turned rather frazzled. “Uh, hun, take it from me, Yuki doesn’t like being interrupted during his projects.” She laced and unlaced her fingers nervously. “Also, I’m pretty sure homeroom isn’t even mandatory? So—“

“No, I want everyone to show up!” Chisa declared, unswayable in her decision. Her students all got to their feet, none of them quite showing the same enthusiasm as she did - but she didn’t let herself feel too put out. It was early doors, after all. 

And so, she led her troupe out of the classroom.

——

“Dorms’ll probably be a good first place to check.” Kristine pointed out, as she and Saki each held one end of a huge paper map of the campus. “I’m pretty sure most of them spend a majority of their time there.” She squinted, trying to get a better look at the map.

Antonio wore a sunny grin, strides bouncy and upbeat. “Y’know, I think this’ll be a great way to spread hope! I mean, we’ll get to see all the Ultimates, in their element, and bring them together in unity—“

“Oh God, one of these rambles.” Saki muttered to Kristine under her breath. “I don’t know how Taku deals with them, honestly.” She grimaced, and Kristine nodded. Izaac muttered something to himself, scratching his ear. 

Antonio continued to babble, oblivious. While Chisa appreciated his passion, his words were a little.. Concerning. Especially once he got to talking about the ‘cleansing, purifying nature of fire’. Thankfully, they got to the dorms in good time.

Chisa designated her troops to each knock on different doors. As they carried out this task, she couldn’t help but notice how.. worried Cherry seemed. She kept shooting Chisa nervous glances, and then quickly looking away. Chisa made a mental note to confront this once given the opportunity.

The only knock that was answered was when Izaac knocked on the door of the dorm belonging to Yuki, Juuija, and Cherry. A tall, blonde girl answered. Makeup perfectly applied, hair perfectly curled, dress hanging perfectly to showcase her perfect features, she stood glaring daggers at Izaac. “What?” She asked, blunt, cold, and hassled. 

“New teach wants you to come to homeroom.” Izaac spoke cooly, unfazed. He turned his head to Chisa, nodding in her direction.

“Well, tell her that I’m fucking busy.” She yanked her phone out of her pocket, and started aggressively typing away on it. “Yuki wants the cameras set up by ten-thirty, and God forbid if that lighting isn’t the exact shade of fuchsia he wants—“

“You must be Juuija.” Chisa strode up to her, determined. The way she spoke, and the company she apparently kept made her identity very clear. “You’re the Class Rep, right? I would hope that any good Rep would at least show up to homeroom.” Chisa couldn’t help but let a little of the anger she’d had pempt up from the empty classroom unleash. But she felt justified in her aggravation. 

Juuija took a step forward, and everyone but Chisa took a step back - like Juuija was some kind of ticking time bomb, or a wild animal that’d pounce on them at any moment. “I was helping a classmate with some important work related to his talent. Surely that’s exactly what a fucking Class Rep is supposed to do?” She put a hand on her hip, staring Chisa directly in the eye. “In fact, I’d say I’ve gone above and beyond the goddamn line of duty on this one.” She huffed. “My bad for wanting my classmates to be successful!”

Chisa puffed up her chest, determined to match Juuija in both confidence and volume. “Young lady, you will come with us this instant!” She declared, putting her foot down. She would not let a student get the better of her. 

Juuija rolled her eyes. “Fine, guess Yuki’ll just have to deal with his schedule being behind.” She snapped, before striding over to Cherry, her heeled boots clicking and clacking as she went. The two spoke about something, Juuija putting her hand in Cherry’s at one point to comfort her. 

Saki peered at the map, attempting to swiftly move on after all that tension. “Well, I guess we should just start going through all the rooms?” She smiled anxiously. “I mean, it’ll take forever, but we’ll find everyone that way.”

“Never back down in the face of adversary!” Chisa declared, forcing herself to bounce back after the quarrel. “We’ll gather everyone, no matter how long it takes!” And with that, she led the way down the hall.

Juuija glared at her back.

——

The whole First Floor was absent of students, and so the troupe took to the stairs, ascending to the second floor. Walking the halls, a pair of voices drifted from the library.

“..Oh, you spelled ‘visceral’ wrong, I think.” The first voice was as polite as possible in her criticism, belonging to someone quite chipper, no doubt.

“No I fucking didn’t.” The second voice didn’t take it so well, being bitter and coarse in her retort. “V-I-S-C-E-R-A-L.” 

“Shit, you’re right.” The first voice laughed. “I thought it had another R in it.”

“Dumbass.”

“That’s Zaki.” Saki whispered urgently to Chisa, expression suddenly intense. “And, I think that’s Akari, too?” She pouted disapprovingly, and Kristine nodded. 

“Why isn’t Angela here?” Zaki asked, being the owner of the more biting voice. “She’s better at spelling than you are. And she’s literally a fucking Theatre Critic.”

“Kristine made her go to homeroom, I think.” Akari explained, some of the peppiness bleeding from her tone. “Since there’s that new teacher, and all. In fact, I was gonna go, but I have no idea where homeroom even is.” She took a deep breath in. “Since I went the first time, and then the second time I forgot where it was, and everyone I asked either didn’t know or didn’t care, so I never really found out—“

“You’re rambling again.”

“I am? Sorry!”

Zaki sighed. “I heard about the new teacher. Saki was gonna make me go, but I didn’t feel like it, and, y’know, we already had plans.” Her voice grew in irritation. “So I had to sneak out at, like, seven, so she wouldn’t catch me. Didn’t want Izaac to catch me either, that fucker absolutely would’ve told her—“

“Zaki!” Saki exclaimed, bursting into the room. “You promised you’d come to homeroom with me!” She folded her arms, leaving Kristine to struggle with the huge map. “You could’ve told me you had other plans, so I didn’t look like an idiot!” A forcefulness Chisa hadn’t seen from Saki before crept in, as she scolded her sister.

Zaki slammed the notebook she’d been writing in shut, and shot Saki a glare. “What the fuck?” She looked just like her sister, but with the colours inverted almost: the reddish rust colour of Saki’s eyes pigmented most of Zaki’s outfit, while the pale grey that coloured Saki’s outfit was in Zaki’s eyes. 

“Oh, hello!” Akari was tall and smiley, with her brown hair pulled into a high ponytail. She wore an orange Hawaiian shirt with yellow flowers, and various plans and reminders had been scribbled over her arms in ballpoint pen. “You must be the new teacher, right?” Her smile turned puzzled. “Uh, wait, why are you here?”

“It took you that long to ask that?” Zaki snapped, clearly wound up about the whole thing. Akari threw her hands up in surrender. Zaki sighed, and turned to the group. “Sorry for ditching.” She muttered to Zaki, turning her gaze to the wooden table she was sat at.

Saki huffed, taking back the side of the map she’d dumped on Kristine. Chisa cleared her throat, before smiling at the two girls. “I’m your new homeroom teacher, Miss Yukizome. I’ve come to bring you to homeroom.”

Akari frowned, confused. “Homeroom isn’t mandatory. Is it? I hope it isn’t.” She laughed nervously. “I’ve missed a lot of homeroom. It’s not mandatory, right?” She shuffled in her seat, it creaking with her excessive movement. 

“It’s not.” Juuija spat. Akari sighed with relief, and her fidgeting ceased. “But the new teacher wants us to go anyway.” She threw Chisa a seething look. Cherry wrapped her arms around one of Juuija’s in some attempt to comfort her. 

Kristine pouted. “It’s for bonding. Homeroom’s a really important time for us to all talk and socialise—“

“Pardon me for buttin’ in, but ain’t most’ve the folks we’ve gone to so far been socialisin’?” Izaac strode forward, hands on hips. “We’re haltin’ it, if anythin’.” His blue eyes narrowed skeptically.

Chisa harrumphed. “That’s no attitude to take, Izaac!” She protested, lightly whacking Izaac on the shoulder. 

He bristled. “Ma’am, if you’re plannin’ on goin’ any further with that, I’m gonna have to introduce ya’ to Danger and Ranger.” He put his hands on the two guns strapped to his belt.

Chisa’s smile weakened, and she nodded. “Noted!”

“Huh.” Akari raised her eyebrows, before shrugging. “Well, okay. We can tag along.”She took Zaki’s wrist, and used it to pull her out of her chair, to her feet. She strode over to Kristine, of all people. “Uh, where’s Angela?” 

Kristine arched a brow. “I thought she was with you?” She shrugged. “She didn’t come to homeroom, and I don’t know where else she’d be.” Her expression turned worried. 

Antonio jumped in between them. “Wait, we lost Taku, Konomi, and my sister?” He blurted, terrified. “Fuck! Where could they be? What if they got kidnapped? I know the crime rate at Hope’s Peak has been really growing this past year!”

“Wait, really?” Akari sputtered, mirroring Antonio’s deer in the headlights expression. “So there’s been like, disappearances and stuff? And that could’ve happened to Angela and the others?” Her voice started to raise as she became rather frantic. 

“I wouldn’t be too surprised.” Antonio lamented. “Hope’s Peak has become a real cesspit lately.” He spat, a dark glare settling onto his face. Akari started biting at her nails.

Zaki groaned. “They’re probably just lost.” She refuted, shaking her head. “You said you didn’t know where homeroom is, right?” She asked Akari. “And that you asked a bunch of people? I assume Angela was one of the people you asked?”

“Well, yeah—“

“So Angela’s probably just looking for homeroom.” Zaki concluded, lightly patting Akari’s shoulder. “You don’t always have to assume the worst.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Akari grinned at Antonio, who gave a ghost of a smile back. “We’ve just gotta find her before she actually gets kidnapped.”

“Great. Can we get going now?” Juuija tapped her foot impatiently. “I know we’re gonna end up behind schedule, but I don’t want to be more behind than I have to be.” She checked her phone, her scowl deepening as she did so.

Cherry pat her back. “It’ll be alright, hun. I’ll help you and Yuki this evening, so you can catch up.” She hummed, pulling out her phone. “Maybe I can get Keru to help, too. She’s always willing.” She started tapping away at the screen, determined.

“Thanks, queen.” Juuija smiled, expression brightening. 

——

The next group of students they found were in the art room. 

“Be sure to get my curves right, boys.” A purring voice drawled. “You all know how important my curves are.”

“Indeed.” The responding voice, posh and clear, sounded rather sheepish. “You know, I think I may be finished.” 

“yeah, me too.” Another voice mumbled. 

“Let’s see ‘em, then, eh?” The last voice was gruff, harsh, and Australian. 

Opening the door to the art room, Chisa found three boys and a bear.

The stuffed bear was bright pink, with a pale pink wig on. A long, false tongue hung out of her mouth, draping over her fluffy underwear. She reclined on a plinth, modelling for the three boys drawing in front of her.

The first boy had grey hair, slicked back, and wore a bandana littered with skulls on his face. He held up a highly stylised drawing of a monstrous looking bear creature - a far cry from the goofy looking thing on the plinth. The only recognisable features were the ears, the long, drooling tongue, and the ever so important curves. 

The second was huge, his tanned skin littered with scars. His red eyes were of the exact same hue as Antonio’s, and he wore a black vest full of vials over his green shirt. The drawing he held up was a realistic drawing of a pink grizzly bear with the stuffed one’s clothing - complete with blood coating the muzzle. 

The last one had curled, brown hair, and bright green eyes. He dressed as if for some kind of posh ball rather than an art exercise - dress shirt and trousers, bowtie, even a waistcoat. He held up a realistic portrait of the stuffed bear, having taken few of the artistic liberties his fellow artists had. 

“Taku!” Antonio exclaimed, sprinting over to the posh boy. Taku placed down his drawing, and barely managed to open his arms before Antonio threw himself into them. “I thought you were kidnapped! I was so worried that Junk got to you—“

“I haven’t encountered Junk at all today, Antonio, I’m fine.” Taku spoke softly and reassuringly, rubbing Antonio’s back in soothing circles. “Monocakke wanted someone to ‘display her eminence’, and apparently the A I achieved in GCSE Art was qualification enough.”

“An A’s a good grade!” The bear, Monocakke, called. “Keep up the good work, baby!” She winked, giving Taku a thumbs up.

“Thank you.” Taku smiled at her, before returning his gaze to the trembling Antonio in his lap. “I attempted to awaken you in order to inform you of where I was going, but you were rather.. Inconsolable, this morning.” He lightly pat Antonio again, before carefully pulling him off of him. 

“I was?” Antonio blubbed. “Sorry..” He looked away guiltily, before his face crumbled again. “And.. Taku, I lost Konomi!” He sobbed, grabbing onto Taku again. “She was gone when I woke up!”

Taku’s smile faded. “Did she not go to homeroom?” He glanced up at Kristine, who shook her head. “Oh, dear. She must have gotten lost again.” 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she went down the fuckin’ Maccas again.” The large boy with the scars huffed, pushing his hat up. “Girlie just goes wherever the fuckin’ wind takes her.” Taku nodded solemnly, as the scarred boy shook his head, before glancing at Chisa. “Who the fuck’s this?”

“ain’t that the new teacher?” The bandana boy asked, glancing at Kristine. “i remember you talkin’ about her.” The Moral Compass nodded. 

“Yep! I’m Miss Yukizome!” Chisa pointed a thumb at herself proudly. “And the two of you are—?”

“Marco.” The scarred boy spat, before slapping the bandana boy on the shoulder, causing him to almost topple onto the floor. “That’s Thomas.”

“Well, we’re gathering everyone up to come to homeroom!” Chisa exclaimed, grabbing Thomas by the arms and pulling him to his feet - mostly to get him away from Marco. Monocakke hopped onto Thomas’s shoulder.

“Oh, splendid.” Taku stood, making sure to keep an arm around Antonio. “I suppose this can be our little search party for Konomi, then.” He looked to Antonio. “Did you text her at all, by any chance?” 

“No..” Antonio frowned, conceding to hold Taku’s hand tightly. “I ran out of service. I got really drugged up a couple nights back, and I just started texting Yuki about getting more—“

Taku sighed, before whispering something to Antonio. The two got into a sort of whispered argument, with Antonio eventually being the one to concede. Taku pulled out his phone and started texting. 

Cherry pouted. “Keru’s not answering my texts.” She looked over to Juuija. “She usually answers me super quick, too.” She put her phone back in her pocket, and folded her arms.

“she’s probably on the piss.” Thomas suggested, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “i’m pretty sure wren went out pretty early to get wankered with her and a couple others.” His mumbling made him a little hard to understand, and so Chisa didn’t really grasp what she was hearing.

“On the piss? Wankered?” Chisa questioned, the words sounding odd without Thomas’ British accent.

“They’re gettin’ drunk, love.” Marco rolled his neck, the bones cracking. “I’m of half a mind to join ‘em.” He grinned, striding toward the door.

Izaac was the one to step in front of his path to stop him. “Can’t be doin’ that, partner.” He folded his arms. “Wouldn’t want ya’ hurtin’ someone this time of the mornin’.” His voice was soft, but dangerous, hands in close reach of Danger and Ranger.

Marco puffed his breath out, sort of like an angered bull. “You ain’t in charge of me, ya’ fuckin’ yank.” He jabbed a finger in Izaac’s chest. “Get outta my damn way.” 

Zaki walked over, sort of imitating Marco’s confident stride. “I’d like to join you on that, mate.” She grinned up at him, before shooting a dark look at Izaac. 

Marco grinned back, pulling an arm around her shoulders. “Now we’re in bizzo!” He laughed brashly, balling one of his hands into a fist. “Two’s still a drinkin’ party, love.”

Saki stepped forward, irritated. “You can’t just go and drink in the middle of homeroom, Zaki!” She cried, indignant. “It’s important! Because—“

“She can do what she wants, Saki.” Akari piped up, bouncing on her feet in some attempt to get her energy out. “If she wants to get blackout drunk at nine forty-five on a Monday morning, that’s her business.” She argued, ready and eager to defend her friend.

Saki seemed to puff up. “I’m her sister, I have the right to criticise what she does with her life. I think she’s making a mistake, so I’m pointing that out.” She explained, gesturing violently with her hands as she got more and more worked up. 

Zaki turned on Saki, scowling. “Well, I’m not gonna take your fucking criticism. I don’t need it.” She leant into Marco, who also watched Saki with great hostility. “I thought we went over this. If I wanna go out with Marco, you’ll fucking let me! Just because you can’t get it to work with Izaac—“

“You said you wouldn’t tell anyone about that!” Saki exclaimed, horrified and betrayed. 

“And you said you wouldn’t nitpick every little thing I do, and here we are.” Zaki jabbed back.

“Get her, girl!” Cherry cheered, a bright grin on her face. “You’re an icon!”

“Perhaps this is all getting a little out of hand.” Taku stepped in, taking the mediator’s role. “If Zaki wishes to go with Marco and drink, then she’s well within her right to do that. Well I wouldn’t call it the most well-advised thing—“

“No, we’re gathering everyone together for homeroom!” Chisa interrupted, pushing Taku back. “Now is not the time for getting, well, wankered. So!” She clapped her hands, glancing to Thomas. “You mentioned some people having a drinking party?”

“uh, yeah.” Thomas stammered, clearly quite put out about being called upon. “i think they’re in the rec room or somethin’?” He shuffled anxiously under all the attention.

“Then that’s our next destination!” Chisa decided, before leading the way out.

Saki gave Zaki a smug grin. Zaki just rolled her eyes, keeping herself firmly between Marco and Akari. 

——

“Another round!” An aggravated boy’s voice exclaimed, followed by the sound of someone hitting a table.

“You’re out of money, my good fellow.” A second voice, with a similar accent to Taku’s, pointed out.

“I’ll give you some cash, Wren, it’s all good.” A third voice, this one female, offered, tinted with amusement. “I’m willing to pay for the entertainment.”

“You know, Fuguai, you could play yourself.” A fourth voice suggested. 

“I’m drunk, Emilio, not stupid.”

Marco shoved the door open. Three boys were sat around a table, at the end of a game of poker. The boy in a suit covered in card suits had clearly won, and possessed all the chips. A boy in a black hoodie glared furiously at him, gripping a banknote tightly in his hand. A boy in a green suit also sat at the table.

The one to notice the new arrivals was the small girl lounging in an armchair with a bottle of vodka. Her blonde hair fell quite far past her shoulders, and she wore a long coat with a sweater. She raised her eyebrows at the group. “I didn’t realise getting hammered and letting Emilio steal all your money was such a popular homeroom activity.” She grinned, orange eyes sparkling. “Привет.” 

Emilio, the boy who was winning, raised his eyebrows. “That’s a rude way of wording it, Fuguai. LeBlanc and Wayne have just as much chance at winning as I do. It’s all luck.” He started shuffling the deck for the next round. “So, would any of the rest of you like to play?” Despite the lack of expression on his face, there was an amused gleam in his eye. 

“Nah, but I’ll take a drink.” Marco strode over to the girl - Keru - who smiled at him, the alcohol allowing her to be unfazed. “What’ve ya’ got? Any beer?”

“Yeppers.” She reached into a cabinet, pulling out two bottles of beer. Chisa found this a little confusing, until Marco used one bottle to open the other, and handed one to Zaki, who took it gladly.

“Hey, girl.” Cherry bounded over to Keru, causing the smaller girl to blush profusely. “Could you help us with Yuki’s project this evening? ‘Cause of this homeroom thing, we’re all kinda behind schedule.” She smiled sweetly at her.

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Keru pushed her face into her scarf, flustered. “Uh, I’ll be there. If I’m not too plastered.” She gave a thumbs up, face bright red. 

“Thanks, hun. You’re a lifesaver.” Cherry winked, leaning onto the back of the armchair. “By the way, could I have some candy? I kinda had to skip breakfast this morning, so.” She reached an arm down, expectantly.

“Ah, okay.” Keru started rummaging around in the many pockets of her big, blue, coat. “Lollipop, any flavour but cherry, right?” Cherry nodded, and so Keru pulled out a blueberry lollipop for her to take. “The rest of you want anything?”

She ended up handing out a stick of strawberry bubblegum to Juuija, a pack of sour candies to Thomas, a Hello Kitty Pez dispenser to Akari, Haribo to Saki and Zaki and some hard-boiled sweets to Taku - all of which being orders that she had, apparently, totally memorised. 

Chisa placed her hands on her hips, looking to the three boys who had started another game of poker. Marco, Zaki, Thomas and Antonio all watched them intently, Thomas even trying to give the hoodied boy (Wren) some, totally ignored, advice. “You’re all coming to homeroom. All this.. debauchery isn’t what we should be having on campus, especially at this time of the morning.”

“Actually, it’s Emilio’s fuckin’ talent.” Marco clapped Emilio on the back, a ghost of a smile appearing on the Poker Player’s face as he kept his eyes on the game. “So it is allowed on campus, girlie.” 

Zaki narrowed her eyes. “You don’t want any wuckos with Marco, lemme tell you.” She leant her elbows on the poker table, remaining invested in the game.

“Let us wrap up this game, then we’ll go with you.” Emilio bargained, gaze remaining on his cards. “I don’t think LeBlanc is keen to let this go anytime soon.”

Wren sputtered. “I’m only losing ‘cause you’re probably cheating, or something!” He complained, reaching a hand out to Keru, who shoved a bottle of beer into it. Taking a swig from that, he groaned. “Like, there’s no way someone can be that lucky!”

Emilio’s brow quirked. “I assure you, LeBlanc, all investigations into the possibility of me cheating have yielded nothing.” He pulled a card, and gazed at it with a totally unchanging expression. 

Antonio giggled, leaning in a little too close to Emilio. “Of course! The Ultimate Poker Player would never cheat! He’s just got a mighty talent for strategy, and a ridiculous amount of luck!” He praised, eyes bright with enthusiasm.

“Ridiculous, indeed.” The last boy, the one in the green suit, tried not to grimace too much at his hand. Antonio’s red eyed gaze turned to him, and he tensed. “Bruce, could you.. Tether your friend?” He turned his anxious gaze to Taku, who sighed.

“He’s my boyfriend, Damian.” Taku sighed, beckoning Antonio, who wandered back to him. “And, as I have told you on many occasions, I prefer the name Taku now.” He seemed rather harried, to the point of Marco offering him a drink. He politely declined. 

Monocakke chuckled, hopping off of Thomas’ shoulder and onto the table. “What’s the prize for this game, anyway? Winner gets their dick sucked by the losers?” She strode over to Emilio with a wide grin. “Because, lemme tell you, cockyfucker over here’d be having the time of his life.”

Damian sputtered, shaking his head. “Absolutely not—“

“I don’t need any sexual favours.” Emilio said simply, running a gloved finger along the tops of his cards. 

Monocakke cackled wildly, her long tongue drooling all over the table. “Oh, the Jack of Smack is fuckin’ getting it.” She sat herself down happily on the table between Emilio and Damian, watching the game unfold. 

Thomas whispered something to Wren, who let out a bright laugh. “Full house, asshole!” Throwing down his hand, Wren proudly demonstrated three queens and two jacks. “Beat that, you cheating prick!” His words slurred a little with the alcohol, but his passion was undeniable. 

Damian sighed, placing down five totally unrelated cards. “I’ve found myself with very little luck, this round, it seems.” He pushed his remaining chips to Wren. “It seems you’ve got it, good chap.” He turned his green-eyed gaze to Emilio. “Unless the beast has you beat.”

Emilio placed down a full set of spades. “A royal flush. In my lucky suit, too.” He remained totally expressionless, cool and calculated despite the Hell that broke loose with his quietly spoken words.

Marco and Zaki cheered, slapping Emilio on the shoulder and clinking bottles. Wren spouted an impressive repertoire of slurred curses, while Thomas and Kristine attempted to calm him down. Juuija, leaning on Keru’s chair alongside Cherry, just huffed a laugh. “They’re idiots for playing against Emilio in the first place.”

Akari grinned over at her. “Didn’t Yuki lose, like, thousands of dollars against Emilio a couple days ago?” She pointed out, emptying some of the Pez from the dispenser into her hands.

“Shut the fuck up.” Juuija jabbed a finger, tipped with a sharp, gold acrylic nail, at Akari. Akari mumbled a “sorry, ma’am” before stuffing the Pez into her mouth. 

Chisa puffed her chest up. “Well, if the game’s done, let’s get going.” She declared, striding toward the students. Thomas had to pull a rabid Wren from his chair, and hold him up to help him walk. 

Keru shot Saki a puzzled look. “Why do we have to go to homeroom?” She asked, more hassled than anything else. She was still flushed from the alcohol and embarrassment, but she was, by and large, in far better shape than Wren.

Saki took a sharp breath in, still worked up from her argument with Zaki. “Because we should all be going to homeroom.” Keru shuffled awkwardly, and so Saki did her best to smile, but that only served to make Keru even more uncomfortable. Monocakke clambered into her arms, in some attempt to comfort her. 

Chisa led the way out, her troupe following.

——

The further they went, the more Chisa’s students seemed to want to distance themselves from her. And then Izaac would peer at Marco suspiciously, which would lead to Zaki suggesting to Marco and Emilio that they try and ditch, only for Saki to start berating her for even thinking that, and Akari’d jump in to defend Zaki, and then Kristine’d defend Saki, which would get Wren involved, and he’d drag Thomas into it, and Cherry, Juuija and Keru would egg them on, and Taku would have to try and break it all up. 

“Are they always like this?” Chisa found herself asking Damian, who was pretty much the only neutral party in the whole dispute - despite how much entertainment he seemed to get out of the whole ordeal.

“No.” Damian assured, as the group looked just about ready to jump into a another fight. “Typically, Angela tends to act as sort of a middle ground between Akari and Kristine, which usually cancels out the whole thing.” A small grin spread across his face. “But since she’s not around, they’ve taken to outright civil war.” He chuckled lightly.

Chisa’s brow furrowed. She supposed she’d better find Angela, and quick. 

Unfortunately, the next room they visited was the Garden, and Angela wasn’t there. Instead, the group walked into a surprisingly.. intimate scene. To the point where even the group that’d been arguing had shut up.

A girl with pink hair that faded to green at the ends sat on a bench, arms folded to her chest. Her mouth was deep set into a pout as she sulked, looking away from where a boy was looking through some of the flowers. His hair was a light blond, and his pale skin was tinged with burn scars, the most prominent of which covering his right eye.

The burned boy walked over to the girl, who shot him a glare. Her bright blue eyes shone with tears. The burned boy held a collection of bright yellow flowers behind his back - marigolds, Chisa thought - that he’d presumably gathered from the garden. “If it’s not an apology, Apollo, I don’t want to hear it.” Her voice cracked, slightly, from the tears in her eyes.

Apollo’s expression crumpled slightly. “I apologise, Miss Coraline.” He spoke quietly, struggling somewhat to make eye contact. “I picked up a few flowers for you.” He held out the marigolds to her, their yellow hue lighting up her surprised face. “I do think you are.. Captivating.. And I hope you’ll no longer be mad at me.”

“Oh, Mister Apollo, you remembered!” Coraline exclaimed, taking the flowers with both hands. Her tears overflowed, but they were now accompanied with an overjoyed smile, rather than a bitter glare. She softly breathed in the marigolds’ aroma. “Ah, I’ll have to find a good vase for these.” She carefully placed them to one side, before pulling Apollo into an embrace. 

“Next stop, that dick!” Monocakke was the one to finally break the group’s silence, hollering so loud Keru had to rub at her ear to make sure she hadn’t gone deaf. The two lovebirds looked up and surprise, and almost horror, at the sudden crowd.

“Get your mans, sis!” Cherry whooped, clapping her hands. Juuija clapped alongside her, supportive. While Coraline seemed to appreciate it, somewhat, she remained, understandably, quite put out. 

“Aww, I should totally write a couple like you guys into one of my novels!” Saki exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “A misunderstood scamp who struggles to show his feelings! A strong, outspoken woman who learns to understand him!” She blushed red, completely lost in this idea.

“A scamp—?” Apollo tried to question.

Zaki made a gagging noise at Akari, who shoved a hand over her mouth to try and stifle her giggles. 

Coraline clasped her flowers close to her chest, eyeing everyone with concern. “Uh, what are you all doing here?” She asked, trying to sound as cordial as possible despite how clearly worked up she was. Chisa couldn’t blame her: she’d clearly just gone through an absolute emotional rollercoaster.

“We’re here to bring you to homeroom!” Chisa exclaimed, striding over. “I want everyone to come so you can all socialise and get on with each other!” She declared, putting her hands proudly on her hips.

Coraline blinked, expression puzzled. “Who are you?” She asked, a doleful smile painting her soft features. 

Chisa huffed. “I’m Miss Yukizome, your new homeroom teacher!” She couldn’t help but feel impatient - this class was a real crock of madness, and she was, admittedly, rather exhausted by them. But, she pressed on regardless. 

Apollo gazed out at his fellow students - them all having started milling about the garden - and hummed. “Say, is it how much people underestimate your abilities as a homeroom teacher that makes you so passionate about doing a good job of this? Or is it the neglect from your supposed boyfriend that makes you want to bring everyone else together?”

Chisa stared blankly at him, in shock at the matter-of-fact way he’d just explained it all to her. Luckily for her, Coraline stepped in. “Right as you may be, Mister Apollo, you shouldn’t psychoanalyse the new teacher.” She pouted. “You know it scares people off.” 

Apollo looked to her, eyebrows raised. “Oh? Why doesn’t it scare you off, then, Miss Coraline?” He asked, lips quirking into a small smile. 

Coraline puffed up, a little, sitting upright. “Because I can do the same to you, Mister Apollo.” She smiled a little slyly. “You’re not as special as you’d like to think.” She winked, shifting the flowers into her arm so she could take his hand and squeeze it. 

Apollo’s smile faded, replaced with confusion. “What?” He watched Coraline with some concern, his usual serenity jarred. 

“I understand people, you understand people.” Coraline explained. “You’re just more logical than emotional, right? But we’re doing the same thing.” She let go, and picked her flowers back up. 

Apollo hummed. “Huh.” He smiled again. “I never considered that.” He mused, before sitting himself down on the bench beside her.

Looking to the rest of the group, Chisa found them wandering the Garden in a thankfully tranquil manner. Marco was explaining flower species to Zaki and Emilio, and sketching diagrams to accompany his descriptions. Thomas was sneezing repeatedly, and rubbing at his eyes. Akari was attempting to pick roses, but pricked herself on the thorns in the process - Keru having to patch her now bleeding fingers up. 

“Ah, I’ve gotten word back from Konomi.” Taku announced, looking up from his phone. “She and Angela are loitering beside the fountain outside, between the Main and Reserve Course buildings.” He chuckled, softly and fondly. “Apparently they’d gotten themselves lost whilst looking for homeroom.”

Zaki lightly elbowed Akari. “Told you.” She jibed, with a teasing grin. “Your girlfriend hasn’t been kidnapped, and I can finally get someone to actually spellcheck my drafts.” She folded her arms grumpily, despite the smile on her face.

Akari huffed, embarrassed. “Look, just because I failed my Grammar class doesn’t mean I’m worthless to you.” She lamented, whilst trying to relieve a rose of its thorns with her bandaged fingers. 

Juuija squinted at her. “I’m sorry, you’re a playwright that failed Grammar?” She questioned, tone harsh in its confusion. “How the actual fuck are you even in Hope’s Peak?” 

“I failed everything except Dance and Japanese.” Akari said matter-of-factly, twirling the now thornless rose. “And, uh, I honestly have no idea.” She laughed nervously, darting her eyes to the floor. 

Kristine handed Coraline a vase (apparently from the Art Room) for her to keep her flowers in, that Wren had painted a few stars on. Izaac filled it with water from the garden’s sprinklers, and Coraline thanked them all graciously. 

“Well, if we’re all done here, let’s get to that fountain!” Chisa declared, clapping her hands to grab the class’s attention. She led her parade out of the Garden with vigour. 

——

“There they are!” Antonio hollered, hustling to Konomi and Angela who, sure enough, were sat on the bench beside the fountain. He almost tripped over his spindly legs whilst trying to get to them. Taku helped him regain his balance, and the two were the first to reach the two girls.

Angela had the same pale red eyes and brown hair as Antonio and Marco, though she was significantly shorter than both of them. She laid down across the bench, eating a half finished vanilla ice cream. Konomi sat neatly on the edge of the bench, holding an ice cream with both of her hands, and being careful not to spill any on her neat little dress. A white bear in a top hat had perched himself on Angela’s legs. 

“Hello!” Konomi was the first to greet everyone, smiling and waving as Antonio sat himself on the bench’s arm, beside her. “We got lost! And then we got hungry, and there was an ice cream van going past, so we got some ice cream.” She licked at the one she was holding with a soft smile.

Angela rolled over a little, surprised at the large group that was there. “Sorry, Kristine.” She mumbled, expression worried. “We didn’t know where homeroom was.” Her mouth fell into a little pout, as half her body draped off of the bench.

“That’s okay.” Kristine assured, strolling over to her side. “Though, it is a little concerning that you don’t know where homeroom is.” She lightly pat Angela’s shoulder, a sympathetic smile on her face.

“I tried to tell them, but the ditzy dumbasses wouldn’t listen.” The white bear had a posh, somewhat shrill voice, as he berated his company. “Because apparently saying it’s in a classroom isn’t enough fucking information.” He scoffed, shaking his head disappointedly.

Konomi frowned, puzzled. “Well, it wasn’t, really.” She admitted. “I don’t mean to be rude, Monoglitch, but to me, it sort of seemed like you didn’t know where it was, but were trying to act like you did.” She attempted to sound as polite as possible, leaning away from the bear as if anticipating a blow up. 

And, to be fair, she was correct. “Shut the fuck up, Bargain Hunt!” Monoglitch roared, getting to his feet with the help of his little black cane. “Fucking Cash in the Attic ass. Antiques Roadshow looking ass. Deal or No Deal fucking ass—“

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m quite certain that Deal or No Deal is a programme with no relation to antiques.” Taku pointed out, leaning himself on the back of the bench. “Given that your insults pertained to her work as an Antiques Dealer—“

“If you don’t shut you damn mouth, you fucking Clockyfucker—“

“Oh, baby, you gotta calm down.” Monocakke hopped from Keru’s arms to the bench, and sauntered over to Monoglitch. “Relax! Hell, you could let me help with that.” She purred, throwing her arms around his neck with a devious smirk. 

Monoglitch harrumphed. “Your help only ever entails sexual favours and class A drugs.” He growled. Notably, he didn’t seem to distance himself physically from her. “And regardless, I don’t want to fucking calm down! I’m furious, and I have all the reason to be!” 

“Do you?” Izaac asked, eyes narrowed at the strange bears. “I don’t think you do, partner.” He tipped his hat up with one hand, keeping the other on his hip. “Looks to me like you’re gettin’ all worked up other nothin’.” 

“I don’t care about the opinion of a Yeehaw Yank on my own goddamn problems—“

“I don’t think we’re getting anywhere bickering with Monoglitch.” Emilio butted in, calm and collected as ever. “Though, if you’re having fun, don’t let me stop you.” He added, that small gleam of humour in his eye.

“Y’know what? I am having fun.” Monocakke decided, rubbing her paws over Monoglitch’s plushy body. “I’m having a wonderful time, actually.”

“And I fucking hate it here.” Monoglitch grumbled, folding his arms. 

Chisa looked to the others. They were all doing what she’d sort of come to expect. Akari’s rose had been stuck in Angela’s hair, and the two were chattering happily with Zaki about meeting up at the library at some point. Keru was poking fun at Wren and Thomas, much to their annoyance. Saki and Kristine were fawning over Izaac. Coraline and Apollo were sat on the fountain, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

In fact, only one thing seemed out of the ordinary.

“Yuki gets his actors where?” Damian exclaimed, from the other end of the fountain. “Madness, surely. I wouldn’t have thought the Ultimate Director would find the great talent necessary for his films in a Reserve Course bathroom.” He sputtered, near outrage in the level of his disbelief. 

Juuija rolled her eyes, as if the question were infantile. “Who’s the professional here? Him. His films are damn good, and if he finds his best work in a fuckin’ bathroom, that’s his business.” Her icy blue eyes froze over, as she tilted her chin up at a haughty angle - despite Damian being taller than her. “Is that all?” 

Damian squirmed uncomfortably, seeming to dislike the power Juuija held. “I suppose so, yes.” He sighed, lacing his hands together. 

Cherry glanced up from her phone with a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry about it too much, sis.” She advised, giving him a light punch on his shoulder. “From what I’ve learned, the best thing to do when it comes to Yuki is stay out of it.” She winked. “Don’t pry.”

Damian swallowed, before nodding. “Quite.”

Chisa hurried over to the trio, determined to pry. The group tensed. “Did you say that Yuki was in the Reserve Course bathroom?” She asked, being, much like Damian, completely bewildered by that fact. “In that case, we’d better head over there.”

Juuija turned on Chisa, glaring. “Weren’t you just eavesdropping on our conversation about minding your own fucking business?” She asked, folding her arms. “Why don’t you take the damn hint?” She jabbed. 

Fury boiled in Chisa’s chest, as she stood up straight to stare down Juuija. “You do not speak to a teacher like that, Miss Mossi!” She scolded, balling her hands into fists. “And given this is the second time now that you’ve shown this disrespect, I’m considering giving you detention!”

Before Juuija could fire back, Cherry gently took her arm. “Maybe you should lay off, hun. You’re slaying, and I’m a stan, but we gotta get Yuki’s stuff done.” She consoled, poorly masked anxiety dominating her expression. 

Juuija huffed, turning her back on Chisa. “Yeah, fine. Whatever.” She pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. “Let’s just get Yuki, maybe he can sort this out.” She took Cherry’s hand, and started striding off toward the Reserve Course building.

“Let’s go, girls!” Cherry called, beckoning the rest of the group to follow. She turned to Juuija with a smile. “Who knows, maybe we could ask Yuki to get Azure to—“ Her voice trailed off as the two wandered out of earshot.

Antonio had grabbed both Taku and Konomi’s hands, and was dragging them along. Keru was, quite happily, carrying both of the stuffed bears. Akari and Angela had linked arms as they babbled excitedly to each other. Wren was pulling Thomas along, complaining that he walked too slowly.

Izaac followed a few feet behind the rest of the group, eyeing them carefully. Marco spotted him, and barked a laugh. “Ain’t feelin’ social, mate?” He asked, pulling one of the vials out of his vest, and tossing it up and down threateningly. 

Zaki squared her shoulders, as if she were ready to, at any moment, launch into a brawl with the Sheriff. “Too high and mighty for our company, or something?” She jabbed, with a smug grin. 

Izaac raised his eyebrows. “Got no time for folks who ain’t worth spit.” He said simply, voice low, and almost threatening. 

Marco’s teasing grin turned into a seething scowl. “And I ain’t got time for blokes who ain’t worth piss.” He set himself up to throw the vial at Izaac, pulling his arm back—

“Hey, there’s no need for that!” Kristine cried, hurrying over and throwing her hands out in front of them. “You’ll never solve an argument by throwing piss on each other.” She jabbered, a little too panicked to hold any real authority. 

Marco growled, stuffing the vial back in his vest. “You’d be surprised at how much it’s worked for me, love.” He winked, and tipped his hat at her patronisingly. 

Emilio’s lips quirked into the ghost of a smile. “It wouldn’t be the first time he’s done that.” He mused, gesturing lightly with a gloved hand. “Actually, I remember you dumping a vial of piss on Elisa Meier from Class 79, and calling her a pisshead. Which, to be fair, was factually accurate at the time.”

Saki scowled at Marco. “I still don’t understand why you carry piss around everywhere.”

Before the discourse could go any further, Chisa took it upon herself to break it up. “We’re almost at the building now, guys! Pipe down!”

——

A whole class of Main Course students sauntering through the Reserve Course halls was certain to garner attention. And indeed, the kids meandering in the halls turned their heads. Only Coraline and Akari actually waved to the onlookers - the rest mostly ignored them. 

Juuija and Cherry led the way, having taken charge of the group from Chisa. While it was good to see the Class Rep embracing her role, Chisa couldn’t help but feel rather.. usurped. Regardless, she thought better than to intervene: the last thing this class needed was another row. 

Voices drifted from the girls’ bathroom as they neared it.

“You and your friends are probably loose, yeah?” The boy’s voice was low and somewhat hoarse, as he almost purred to his companions. “Sexually, of course, not, well, down there.” He huffed a laugh. “Of course, if that was the case, I wouldn’t want you.” He laughed again, louder this time. A few girls giggled along. 

Chisa’s blood ran cold, and she turned to Juuija for an explanation. She had nothing to say except: “What? He’s gathering his actors.” She looked at Chisa as if she were an idiot, which wasn’t particularly flattering.

“Your ass would look great on my bed.” Yuki’s voice came again, laced with a dark humour.

“Do you not see the problem with this?” Chisa asked, gesturing wildly to the door. “He’s grooming students!” She tried not to get too loud, not wanting to alert Yuki of her presence. Something about the way everyone spoke about him made her.. Nervous. But she refused to back down. He was only a student, after all. 

Juuija rolled her eyes. “He’s not grooming, he’s hiring. Trust me, sweetums, this is tame.” She pat Chisa’s shoulder, giving her a patronising look.

Chisa gritting her teeth. “Well, regardless, we’re gonna go in there and bring him to homeroom.” She looked to the others, who watched on awkwardly. “Who’s coming?”

Wren raised his hand. “I’d be happy to—“

“No boys!” Chisa exclaimed, amazed that she even had to clarify this. “That’s uncouth!” She put her foot down, determined to stamp this idea out.

The only girls that stepped forward to accompany her were Keru, Juuija, and Cherry. The rest either tried to hide behind other people (Konomi and Angela) or simply refused. And so, with this party, Chisa breached the sanctity of the bathroom.

“So, any of you ever done a nude photo shoo—“ Yuki stopped in his tracks, glancing up at the door opened. His dark green hair was shaved at one side, his pale skin a sickly hue, and a cigarette hung out of his mouth, cinders falling onto his disheveled clothing. His dark eyes narrowed.

Three girls in Reserve Course uniforms surrounded him, one even sitting on his knee as he leaned back onto the sinks. A student from the Main Course - recognisable by his strange attire - leant on his shoulder, grinning widely.

“What on Earth are you doing?!” Chisa couldn’t help but scream, horrified. The girls all recoiled from Yuki at the sight of a teacher, but the Main Course student stayed, smiley as ever. 

Yuki arched a brow. “My job.” He spoke flatly, totally unimpressed. “You must be the new teacher. Chisa Yukizome, if I remember correctly.” He twirled the cigarette between his fingers. 

Chisa took an unsteady step back. She had half a mind to ask him how he knew that, but she decided against it. Before she could lash out at him, Keru, of all people, found her voice. “Haven’t seen you in a while, Tobu. This how you pay the hotel fees nowadays?”

The Main Course student, Tobu, stood up straight, smile fading completely at the mere sight of Keru, replaced with a cold glare. “Well, since the circus laid me off, I’ve gotta find other ways of getting an income.” Xe spat, arching xir back like some kind of angry cat. “No thanks to you!”

Keru feigned horror. “Oh, no! Anyway.” She looked to Yuki with a totally neutral expression. “You want a candy cane, Yuki?” She asked, pulling a peppermint one from her coat.

Before Yuki could answer, Chisa swiped the candy cane out of Keru’s hands. The girl tensed at the contact, and retreated behind Juuija and Cherry. “This is absolutely out of order! You can’t be getting down to this.. This sort of misconduct!” Chisa felt she was fully within her right to raise her voice. This was madness! She marched up to Yuki, and snatched the cigarette from his hand. “And no smoking, either!”

Yuki seemed unaffected by how close Chisa had gotten, staring calmly into her eyes with his cold green ones. He pulled another cigarette from a pocket, lit it, and took a puff. He blew the smoke into Chisa’s face.

And in that moment, Chisa saw red. 

She swung her hand out, and slapped Yuki across his face. The crack of her hand reverberated through the room. One of the girls screamed. Two flashes followed, and Chisa found both Juuija and Cherry pointing their cameras at her.

“I wonder what the Headmaster’d think of this picture.” Juuija showed Chisa her phone screen, it proudly displaying a picture of the very moment when her hand had hit Yuki’s face. “Or, better yet, the court.” 

Cherry continued to tap away on her phone, an intense expression on her face. “And.. Send.” Her green eyes darted up, a satisfied smile on her face. “The whole class group chat has now seen that photo.” 

Yuki huffed a laugh, blowing out another cloud of smoke. “My lawyers’ll be in contact soon.” He said matter-of-factly, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Enjoy this job while you can, Chisa.” 

Chisa stared at Yuki, taking a staggering step back. This boy had just made a threat on her entire livelihood like it was nothing. He had her wrapped around his finger entirely.

Keru cleared her throat, awkwardly. “Uh, I get that you’re all traumatised and stuff, but can I have the candy cane back?” She asked, sliding a pair of gloves onto her hands. “Also, never fucking touch me again.” 

Defeated, Chisa returned the candy cane to Keru, who immediately handed it to Yuki. With a smug grin, Yuki took the cigarette from his mouth, snuffed it into Chisa’s arm, and tossed it aside. He then pushed the candy cane in its place.

Yuki turned to Tobu and the girls, who had just sort of - huddled in the corner, watching in awe. He handed each of them a business card. “Come to my dorm at..” He looked to Juuija, trailing off. 

“We’re filming later than planned.” Juuija clarified, shooting a glare at Chisa. Chisa felt her gut twist, any anger toward these two reduced to raw fear.

“Hm.” He raised his eyebrows, gaze passing over Chisa. “Let’s say eleven tonight, then.” He grinned. “If you’re lucky, we’ll all have some fun.” He purred, before turning his back on them. “Let’s go, then.”

Juuija led the way out, having taken full charge of the situation. 

As soon as they got back to the class, Izaac strode up to Chisa, brandishing a pair of handcuffs. “You’re goin’ down for a long time, partner.” His voice was low and dangerous, as he grabbed her wrist.

Yuki put a hand on the Sheriff’s shoulder, stopping him. “I’m taking care of it, Wolfgang.” He assured, taking the candy cane from his mouth and twirling it. “She’s not under your jurisdiction. My lawyers can get her convicted.”

Izaac stepped back, but he still eyed Chisa with intensity. The rest of the class kept their distance from her, for the most part. Antonio bounded toward her, despite Taku trying to hold him back. “Hey! You hurt one of my beloved classmates again, and I might just get so upset I’ll have to burn—“

Taku managed to pull him away before he could finish, clapping a hand over his mouth. Konomi peeked out from behind Taku, a troubled expression on her face. “Did you really hit Yuki?” She asked, as if the mere concept of violence was totally alien to her.

“Oh, honey, it was terrible.” Cherry cut in, a deep set frown on her face. “Like; swish, crack!” She made the gesture, hitting her own hand rather than someone’s face. “And, like, it was totally uncalled for? Yuki was just practicing his talent - sure, he’s a little unconventional, but it’s not, y’know, illegal.” She shook her head disapprovingly.

Taku looked just shy of horrified. “Goodness.” He breathed, holding his partners close to himself protectively. “I can’t believe this sort of thing still happens, let alone in Hope’s Peak.” He sighed, despondent.

Antonio scowled. “Just another show of what a state Hope’s Peak is in now.” He cracked his knuckles, red eyes almost glowing with his passion. “I can’t believe they’ve let such a beacon of hope be so corrupted—“

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Wren asked, peering at Antonio as if he were a madman. Which, to be fair, was not a left-field critique. 

Monoglitch growled, now perched comfortably on Coraline’s shoulder. “Honestly, they should just let us teach the little bastards.” He vented to Monocakke, furious as ever. “At least we don’t beat the fuck out of them.” 

Coraline smiled, but it was tinged with worry. “I don’t know if the Headmaster’d take your job application seriously if you call us little bastards.” She laughed lightly. “Plus, what’d you even teach us?” She questioned.

Monocakke snickered from where she was reclining on Apollo’s shoulder. “Well—“

Before she could say anything, Apollo spoke over her. “I already know that you’re about to say Sex Education. Because you’re a professional on the subject.” He smirked, glancing up at the bear.

Monocakke arched a brow. “Damn straight. I’m plannin’ on headin’ to college to get a degree in sexiness, actually.” She bounced her tongue between her paws as she spoke, un-fussed by Apollo’s creepiness. “Maybe I could even get a doctorate.”

Coraline blinked, confused. “Wait, you’re going to college?” She asked, reaching over to knock at Monocakke’s tongue. Her hand came back wet with drool, despite the fact that the tongue was fake.

Monoglitch lightly hit the side of her head with his plushy paw. “Of course we are! I’m getting a degree in psychiatry, she’s doing one in sexiness.” He folded his arms, glaring at her like she was an idiot.

“They let bears into college?” Coraline asked, lost.

“To be fair, we got really good CVs.” Monocakke pointed out, twirling her tongue over her head like a lasso. “World’s first therapy bears? Pioneers of the Learning AI? Got a job at Hope’s Peak?” She threw the lasso around Monoglitch, tugging him closer to her. 

Apollo smiled faintly. “They do say, if you go to Hope’s Peak, you’ll be set for life.” He mused, chuckling lightly.

Monoglitch nodded. “Hannibal Lecter gets it. What do I need to be set for life? A degree. If I’m guaranteed to be set for life if I go to Hope’s Peak, I’m guaranteed to get into college.” 

“Bingo.” Monocakke grinned.

Keru’s phone rang, causing her to jolt. Glancing at the caller ID, she hurried outside to take it. 

——

Oblivious to privacy, the whole class followed Keru outside - not that she seemed too bothered by it. “Hey, Kuta!” Chisa recognised that name from the register. “Is Raiu there?” Keru chuckled at whatever response she got. “Why did I even bother asking.” She said dryly, rolling her eyes with a fond smile.

Wren hurried over, eyes wide. Keru took a cautious step away from him. “Blik’s there?” He asked, attempting to conceal his excitement and totally failing. “Can you put them on speaker?”

Keru shrugged. “Yeah, why not.” She pushed a button, and held the phone up. “You’re on to the whole class now, Kut.” She informed him, with a bright grin.

“Hey, guys!” Kuta’s voice was cheerful, with the same Russian accent as Keru’s. “I can’t believe you’re all actually at homeroom. No one ever goes, right? To be fair, I’m never actually there myself.” He chuckled bashfully. 

A faint voice came from the phone, bearing a strong French accent. “Bonjour!” This was, assumably, Raiu. He sounded as if his mouth was full as he spoke.

Angela wandered over, leaning past Keru’s arm to talk into the microphone. “Where are you guys?” She asked, eyes wide with curiosity. “I’m pretty sure we’ve scoured the whole school by now.”

Akari giggled, rolling her eyes. “You’ve only searched the Reserve Course!” She jested, lightly ruffling Angela’s hair. The Theatre Critic pouted.

“La boulangerie!” Raiu called out, jolly and confident. 

“The what?” Zaki looked to Marco and Emilio, who both shrugged.

“Here, I’ll show you guys.” After a few seconds of buffering, Kuta’s grinning face appeared on the screen. He wore a faded blue hoodie with bear ears protruding from the hood, and some kind of support around his neck. He had the same blond hair and orange eyes as Keru. He stood outside of a bakery, with Raiu feasting upon a few scones in the background.

Raiu’s hair was a dark blue colour, and his eyes were a bright red. He wore a huge raincoat over a cozy sweater, and a scarf around his neck - all of which being coated in crumbs. He waved at the camera once he realised Kuta was pointing it at him. 

Chisa sputtered, striding over. “You’re not even on campus?” She questioned, mystified. They had, during school hours, left campus entirely, in order to get some baked goods? “That’s truancy!” It was almost as if it was a goal for this class to try and break as many rules as possible. 

Juuija silenced Chisa with a glare. “Who said you were allowed to speak?” She pulled a phone out of her purse, and Chisa felt her throat go dry. She took a step back, as to indicate her silence. She didn’t have much other choice. 

“Bud, we don’t even live on campus.” Kuta clarified, with a soft laugh. “Is that the lady who slapped Yuki saying that, too? I think I’d rather keep my distance.” He shuffled uncomfortably, before handing the phone over to Raiu. 

Taku’s bright eyes widened, as he wandered closer. “If they’re at the bakery, could you ask them to procure some gingerbread?” He inquired, leaning over Keru’s shoulder and taking caution not to touch her.

Emilio gazed blankly at him. “You know, Fuguai, it’s weird how you insist on using such big words.” His voice was flat and unchanging. “It’s kinda, as you would say, extravagant.” The ghost of a smirk touched his face.

Antonio giggled, being, as always, excessively touchy with Taku: leaning on his arm, poking at his side. “Oh, you don’t even know. Imagine what it's like to live with him.” He teased, rubbing his face into Taku’s shoulder. 

Taku flushed pink, and avoided eye contact. “Well, it’s not as if it obscures what I’m attempting to get across too severely.” He argued, speaking a little too quickly thanks to his embarrassment. “So I don’t see the issue, here.”

Antonio poked Taku’s cheek with a goofy grin. “Within the first two days of meeting her, he had to teach Konomi what ‘pertinent’ meant. And ‘debauchery’. And ‘leviathan’. And ‘licentious’. And—“

“Okay, yes, I understand.” Taku lightly slapped Antonio on the head. “There’s no issue with a broader vocabulary, Antonio.” He declared, placing his hands on his hips. “I use whatever word I find appropriate.”

Thomas scratched awkwardly at his neck, avoiding eye contact. “i don’t even know what half those words mean.” He mumbled, stuffing his hands back into his hoodie pockets. 

Konomi hopped up, eyes bright, proud she knew this answer. “Oh! Licentious is—“

“We don’t need an explanation!” Wren exclaimed, taking a step back from Konomi and yanking Thomas with him.

Raiu giggled from the phone, noting down Taku’s request in a little notebook. “Do the rest of you want anything?” He asked, keeping his pen poised over the paper.

Pretty much everyone ended up making an order, with Yuki promising to pay for it. Raiu and Kuta promised they’d both be back by the end of homeroom to deliver the food. And so, after the call ended, Chisa was left to stand awkwardly, wanting to ask about any other students but being unable thanks to Yuki’s threats.

Luckily, Konomi asked for her. “Where are Azure and Krystal?” She questioned the group, rubbing her gloved hands together. “I haven’t seen them at all today..” She bit her lip worriedly, leaning into Taku’s side for comfort.

Keru raised her eyebrows, surprised. “I dunno, actually. Azure was still asleep when I got up.” She seemed rather unfazed by the whole affair, presumably due to the amount of alcohol she’d consumed that morning. “Geezer can handle himself though, right?”

Damian huffed. “Well, Krystal, as always, kicked me out of the dorm at some ungodly hour in order to dress themselves. I haven’t seen them since.” He complained, clenching his hand into a fist as he gestured. “And might I add, it is rather unpleasant to have to stumble about the dorm in a blindfold every night.”

Marco made a gruff noise, and Damian froze. “Just move into one of the spare dorms, ya’ fuckin’ simpleton.” He shoved Damian’s shoulder, almost sending him crashing to the ground. 

“Maybe we should all head back to the classroom?” Kristine suggested, stepping forward. In the absence of her own authority, Chisa was glad it was Kristine who tried to bring order. “We’ve searched the whole school at this point. If Krystal and Azure aren’t around, they probably aren’t gonna be anywhere.”

This idea was judged by the group as sound enough, and so Chisa found herself trailing behind the class she was supposed to straighten out. She had achieved her first goal, for the most part - getting almost all of the class to attend homeroom - but it wasn’t like they’d changed at all. Their bad behaviour wouldn’t improve, that much was clear.

Kristine was the one to try and open the door. When she pulled on the handle, it seemed to give some resistance. She pushed it down again, harder, and shoved the door open. A bucket of golden glitter, hitched up to the door handle, fell right onto her head.

The classroom was a mess. The walls were coated in paint of all different colours, in splatters where someone’d simply lobbed the paint buckets at the walls. All of the desks had been pushed together into the centre, where a neon-dressed clown reclined, a satisfied grin on their face. At the front, a large man in a beige coat sketched a detailed rendition of Monocakke in chalk on the blackboard.

“Shit, Commie Fucker!” Monocakke laughed, hopping down from Apollo’s shoulder onto the teacher’s desk. “I didn’t realise you admired my beauty so.” She flipped her, almost as if preening.

The big man, Azure, arched a brow. “I just heard you’d gotten a few people together to draw you, and decided to throw my hat in the ring.” He grinned. “I was quite the artistic soul before I got into my current profession.” He laughed coldly, before returning to his drawing.

Krystal, the clown, sat up from the desks they were reclining on. “Who’s the maid?” They asked, arching a brow. “Is she here to clean up, because, if so..” They clicked their tongue, smiling devilishly. “Well, I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.” 

“I’m the new homeroom teacher.” Chisa spoke quietly, keenly aware of the fact that she probably wouldn’t be the new homeroom teacher for much longer. “You’re Krystal and Azure, yeah? I’d better register you. And, uh, everyone else.” She walked to the teacher’s desk, just grateful for something to do. She couldn’t find it in herself to blow up at this sight.

Cherry wandered to Krystal, sitting up on the desk beside them and tapping on her phone. “You’re not on the group chat, right?” She asked. Krystal shook their head. “Here.” She showed Krystal what was presumably the photo of Chisa hitting Yuki, and the clown burst out laughing.

Azure turned, pulling out his phone. After some tapping, he found the photo too. His eyes swept to Yuki, a shadow falling over them. “Five hundred and I’ll crush her skull right now.” He offered cooly, gesturing to Chisa.

Chisa felt her blood run cold as she checked his talent on the system. Ultimate Hitman.

Yuki twirled his candy cane between his fingers. “I’ve got plans for her already, but I appreciate the reduced rate.” He smiled grimly as he stuck the candy cane back in his mouth. “I’ll keep it in mind as a backup.” 

This was a whole different beast from her last class, Chisa realised, as she took registration. That fact was made abundantly clear at how casually they discussed plans for her untimely death right in front of her face. 

Finishing the register, she turned to the class. Most of them had gathered at the blackboard, watching Marco, Azure and Juuija engage in a heated drawing competition. Kristine was explaining to Akari, Angela and Konomi where the classroom was. Antonio was babbling to Krystal about what they’d missed. Yuki and Izaac argued about something. 

Raiu and Kuta returned a few minutes before the end of the period, paper bags full of treats under their arms. They emptied out the bags on the tables, and everyone took their pick from the pile. Chisa watched on, helpless to stop the group in their chaos.

Angela wiped some muffin crumbs off of her cheeks, and softly hummed. “Y’know, I think we should go to homeroom more often.” She murmured, smiling serenely at the sight of the cultivated classroom. “It’s fun.” 

Akari grinned, leaning back against a filing cabinet. “Well, I’m much more inclined to go now that I actually know where it is.” She chuckled warmly, winking at Kristine. “Plus, today was pretty fun - violent teachers aside.” Her laugh turned a little nervous. 

The school bell rang, and the whole group made their way out. The last to exit was Yuki, who lingered for just a short while longer. “Next time I’ll see you, it’ll be in court.” He winked, lighting another one of his Godforsaken cigarettes. “Give it a few days, though. The legal stuff takes a while.” He pushed the cigarette into his mouth, and left. 

Chisa was left sitting at the teacher’s desk, shellshocked.


End file.
